Pneumatic water-elevator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. 15'. TEAL. PNEUMATIC WATER ELEVATOR.

'No. 470,386. Patented Mar. 8. 1892..-

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PNEUMATIC WATER ELEV A TOR. No. 470.386. Patented Mar. 8, 1892.-

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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN TEAL, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs.

PN EU MATIC WATER-ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,386, dated March 8, 1892.

Application filed April 20, 1891.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN TEAL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook,'and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Water-Elevators, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart thereof.

This invention relates to devices for elevating water bycompressed air; and it consists in improvements in the means for shifting the pressure from one to the other of the pair of submerged chambers through which the water is passed to the discharge-pipe, and in improvements in devices for controlling the water-induction valves of such chambers for the purpose of avoiding loss of pressure by escape of compressed air through such valves when the chambers are emptied.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the submerged cylinders. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of the same devices, section at the upper part being made in an axial plane through the cylinders and at the lower part being made in the plane of the line 2 2 on Fig. 1 through one cylinder only. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section at the line 3 3 on Fig.

2. Fig. 4: is a section at the line 4 4 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of the lower portion of the cylinders, which are broken away to show the parts in vertical section at the line 5 5 on Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail vertical section of the air-passages anddevices for reversing the pressure on the two cylinders, being the same as shown at the upper middle part of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a bottom plan of a casting forming the compressed-air chamber of the pressure-reversing devices. Fig. 8 is a section through the same chamber at the line 8 S on Figs. 6 and 7.

A A are the water-chambers. B is the water discharge and elevating pipe from said Serial No. 389,556. (No model.)

the pipe 0 leads. It opens atthe top, through the port e, into the piston-chamber F, which is located above the chamber E and formed in the same casting. Through the bottom of the chamber E are formed two lateral ports E E which lead down into the chamber G, the top of which is formed by the horizontal partition 6 which forms the floor or bottom of the chamber E. From this partition or top wall of the chamber G two vertical wings or depending partitions E E extend down about half the height of the chamber G, said partitions being located along the proximate edges of the ports E E From the pistonchamber F to the chamber G, which is formed between the depending partial partitions E and E two ducts F F extend down through the chamber E without opening into said chamber, but affording communication across said chamber between said chambers F and G leaving standing through the chamber E two small pillars, which-are then drilled through from top to bottom to form the ducts. These pillars appear in transverse section in Fig. 4.

From the bottom of the chamber G, midway.

between the right and left sides or ends, communication is formed, through the port 9, with the suction-pipe D, and through the lateral passages G and G respectively, with the chambers A A H H are similar valves formed rigidly with a horizontally-recip'rocating cut-01f 11, said valves seating upon the bottom of the chamber G and extending the entire length of said chamber in a direction transverse to the direction of the cut-off. Said cut-off has its upper horizontal face It in contact with the lower edges of the depending partitions E E so that said cut-off and its said valves, together with said depending partitions, respectively, make complete partition from top to bottom through said chamber G-that is to say, the partition E for example, making contact with the upper surface of the cut-off H and the valve H from the lower side of the cut-off making contact with the bottom of the chamber, makes a com plete wall or cut-ofi from top to bottom through the chamber, and, on the other hand, the depending partition E in contact with the cut-off H, and the valve 1-1 projecting from the lower side of said cut-off to the lower chamber, makes another complete partition from top to bottom through the chamber. From the middle point of said cut-off the wing H projects upwardly between the partitions E and E and makes tight contact with the upper wall of the chamber G contained between said partitions. When the cut-off H is at one limit of the path of reciprocation-that is, at one side of the chamber G-the valve Il seats between the port of the passage G3 and the proximate wall of the chamber, leaving said passage open and communicating with the port g between the two valves H and H and the other valve at the same time seats between the port 9 and the port of the duct G thereby cutting ofi said duct G from communication either with the pipe D or with the=duct G At the other limit of the path of its reciprocation the course of communication is reversed, the valve H seating between the duct G2 and the proximate wall of the chamber and the valve II seating between the duct G and the port g. I is a piston reciprocating in the piston-chamber F, having two piston-valves I and I rigid with it, which fit said chamber. The distance between the proximate edges of said pistonvalves is sufficient to span the port e and either one of the ports F or F, and the width of each of said piston-valves is limited, so that it may stand between eitherof the ports fof the ducts F or F and the port 6 without obstructing either of said ports. When the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the piston I is in position such that its valves 1' and I are seated, respectively, outside the port of the duct F and between the port e and the port of the duct F There is thus communication from the chamber E, and therefore from the compressedair pipe (J, through the port e, between the piston-valves I and I through the duct F, into the chamber G. The compressed air being thus admitted at the right hand of the wing II will drive said wing, acting as a piston, to the left hand of the chamber G, as it is shown in said figure, and the valves 11 will stand in the position shown in said figure, wherein, as described, there is communication from the chamber E by way of the port E into the chamber G, and thence by way of the duct G into the water-chamber A, and there is communication from the suction pipe D through the port 9 into the chamber G between the valves H and 11 and thence through the duct G into the chamber A duct F, air-pressure would be transmitted through the duct F at the left-hand side of the piston-wing H and thereby the cut-off I-I would be shifted to the opposite position,and air pressure will be admitted to the chamber A and suction experienced in the chamber A.

I will now describe the means for automatically shifting this piston at the proper time. J J 2 are similar bell-crank levers pivoted to the body of the chambers above described 'on the outside thereof and having their upstanding arms engaged, respectively, with the opposite ends of the piston I, engagement being sufficiently free-to permit the piston to follow its horizontal course while the lovers rock in vertical planes over their pivots. From the ends of the horizontal arms of the bell-crank levers rods J J extend down through the tops of the chambers A and A respectively, suitable stuffing-boxes being provided to permit them to pass airtight through said chamber-walls, and said rods are connected to buoys located at the upper part of said chambers, respectively, so that when the buoy connected to either rod is submerged the rod is pushed up and the bell-crank lever is actuated and shifts the piston.

The form of buoy which I preferI will no describe. It comprises a lever fulcrumed upon the chamber at Land having supported by its arms L and L respectively, the counter-weights K and M. Said weights are at'different specific gravities, M being of less specific gravity than K. This may be effected by making them of different materials, the weight K being of cast-iron, for example, whose specific gravity is from seven to eight,

while the weight M is of asphaltuin, for example, whose specific gravity is something less than two. (Preferably wood or other water-absorbent substance should not be em-' ployed.) The method which I prefer for making these weights of different specific gravity, as stated, is to make the weight K solid, of cast-iron, and to make the weight M in the form of a cast-iron box, which will be filled with water or other sufficientlylight substance to make the average specific gravity of the box and contents such as desired. There is no reason whatever for employing anything else than water, although other substances might be employed, because the box will be automatically filled with water by the very operation of the device and will be kept full without attention so long as it is operated, and if it should waste by evaporation during an interval of non-use it will only be necessary to mechanically seat the piston in one position or the other to cause one chamberor the other to fill with water, and thereby to fill the box float, whereupon the mechanism would operate as designed.

Theoperation of these 00 unteractin g-weigh ts of differentspecific gravities will be that of a buoy, as will appear upon consideration, as

IIO

follows: The weight of M in air being greater than that of K in air by any amount necessary to operate the piston-say ten pounds and the amount of water displaced by M in excess of the amount of water displaced by K having a weight of twenty pounds, thesubmergence of both the weights in the chamber A while both are above water in chamber A will give preponderance to K, and the arm L of the lever L will be depressed and the piston I will thereby be carried to the right-hand limit of its stroke, as shown in Fig. 1. Since at the same time A is empty of water, so that the contrary state of balance exists in respect to the lever in that chamber, the arm L being raised and tending, also, to move the piston to the right-hand limit. At this position of the piston air-pressure is admitted to the chamber A and a partial vacuum induced in the chamber A tending to drive the water out of A and to draw water into A When the water has been driven out of A to such extent that the weights K and M therein are no longer submerged and before the water has risen to submerge the weight K and lVI in the chamber A there will be a balance of the contrary tendencies exerted by the two levers and their respective counterbalancingweights, the lever in chamber A tending with a force of ten pounds to push the piston to the right and that in A tending with a force of ten pounds to force it to the left, so that no' its position, the weight K falling and the weight M rising, and the bell-crank lever J being operated to draw the piston I to the lefthand limit of its path and reverse the communications from the compressed-air andsuction pipes, respectively, and thereby reverse the action, discharging the water from the chamber which has just been filled and filling the one which has justbeen emptied. It is a matter of experience that the rate at which the water is discharged by the compressed air and the rate at which itis drawn in by atmospheric pressure due to the partial vacuum are with difficulty made equal, so that it is difficult to cause the one chamber to be emptied during the same length of time that the other chamber is being filled for the obvious reason that the water is forced into the chamber to fill it by pressure not greater than atmospheric pressure and necessarily always somewhat less, because the vacuumin the chamber cannot be made absolute, while the water is driven out of the chamber by pressure, the excess of which over that exerted by the water-column inthe discharge-pipe may be greater or less than the portion of atmospheric pressure obtained to fill the chamber. If it should occur that the chamber from which the water is being discharged should become vide the valve-controlling device, which I will 7 now describe. The water enters the chambers from the reservoirs in which they are submerged through simple gates or check-valves N and N respectively, and it is discharged from the chambers through valves 0' and 0 respectively. The valves 0 and O are connected to the levers which carry the counterbalanced weights 0 and 0 (Shown only in connection with the chamber A but precisely alike in both chambers) The lever 0 is supported upon a fulcrum 0 which protrudes up from the bot-tom of the chamber, and has on the arm between the fulcrum and the valve the box-weight O and on the other arm the solid weight 0 these two weights is similar to the relation of the weights K and Mviz., that when both are submerged the preponderance is upon one side of the fulcrum and when both are out. of water the preponderance is on the other side-and, infact, I so proportion them that the preponderance shifts before both are entirely out of water. When the water has fallen to the line to a: on Fig. 1, but still covers the discharge-port controlled by the valve 0 so much of the box-weight O is out of water that it preponderates over the solid weight 0 and the weight 0 descends and the O rises, and the valve 0 becomes seated. This arrests the discharge of water from the chamber 0 while the level is at the lineman, and while the valve-seat is still submerged. Practically it is only necessary that the valve should be closed before any air has been forced past the air-seat into the pipe 0; but

to insure this the valve should seat a little before the water has fallen so low as the valveseat. If, as will commonly be the fact, the chamber from which water is being discharged becomes empty before the other chamber is filled, action in the chamber so emptied will cease, the pressure nevertheless continuing,

while action in the other chamber due to the suction will continue until that chamberfis filled and the piston reversed in the manner described. This is an important feature of my construction, because, on account of the fact just stated that the emptying-chamber empties usually before the filling-chamber fills when the reversing of the connections with the pump is made dependent upon the emptying of one chamber a portion of the action is lost at each instance, because the other chamber will not be entirely filled and will empty sooner the next time, leaving the first chamber still less filled, until,after a few actions, both chambers will be emptied and the action will cease, whereas, when the reversion of the connections is made dependent upon the filling to a fixed point of the chamber which is being filled, even though the other chamber becomes empty sooner, the reversion will not occur, but will wait for the filling to be completed, thus avoiding the difficulty above pointed out.

I do not limit myself to the specific form of construction or connections from the airpump to the chambers nor between said chambers, though I consider them in some respects specifically desirable, nor do I limit myself to the use of open boxes as a means of obtaining weights of low specific gravity, though I consider this the most desirable because the most convenient construction.

I claim 1. In a pneumatic water-elevator, the waterchambers and ducts by which they communicate, respectively, with the compressed-air and suction pipes and devices by which such communications are reversed, buoys consisting of counterweighted levers in said chambers, respectively, the larger of said counterweights on each of said levers being an upwardly-open vessel adapted to fill with water from the chamber, the material composing said vessel weighing less and said vessel,with its water contents, weighing more than the other counter-weight, whereby the preponderance of said weight is reversed by submersion of both in water, combined with connections from said buoys, respectively, to the devices which reverse the air connections of the Water-chambers, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pneumatic water-elevator, in combination with two water-chambers and their air connections, respectively, the piston which reverses said air connections, the counterweighted levers within said chambers, respectively, each adapted to have the preponderance of their counteracting weights reversed by submersion, symmetrical connections from said levers,respectively, to said piston, whereby similar action of the levers produces reverse action of the piston, the counterweights of said levers being located at the upper part of the chambers, whereby the weights in both chambers are caused to be out of water, and said levers neutralize each others action upon the piston until one of the chambers is filled, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the water-chambers A and A the chamber G, and the ducts, respectively, by which it communicates with the chambers A and A said ducts being situated symmetrically with respect to the ports leading from said chambers to the compressed-air and suction pipes, and the reciprocating cut-off adapted at one limit of its path to separate the suction-ports from one and the compression-port from the other of said'ducts and at the opposite limit to reverse the order of such separation, the piston-chamber F and the port by which it communicates with the compressed-air pipe, the. chamber G and the wing of the cutoff which operates as a piston in said chamber, and the ducts by which the piston-chamber communicates with the opposite ends of said chamber G being symmetrically situated in respect to the port communicating between said piston-chamber and the compressed-air pipe, and the doublevalve piston playing in said piston-chamber to admit the compressed air alternately to such symmetrically-situated ducts, whereby the compressed air operates the cut-off to reverse the connection of the suction and compressed-air pipes with the water-chambers, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with the water-chamber and the devices by which air-pressure is communicated to it to drive the water out, a lever having a fixed fulcrum within the chamber and a valve connected thereto and controlling the discharge-port of the chamber, and controlling-weights on said lever, the larger of said weights being an open vessel adapted to fill with water from the chamber, said vessel alone weighing less and with its water contents weighing more than the other weight, whereby said lever act uates said valve to hold it 01f its seat when both the counter-weights are submerged and to hold it on its seat when they are not submerged, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with the water-chambers and the discharge-pipe with which they both communicate,a port for each chamber,through which such communication takes place, provided with a valve 0 seating toward the pipe, and a counterweighted lever which operates said valve, the larger of the counter-weights upon said lever being an open vessel adapted to fill from the chamber, said vessel alone weighing less and with its water contents weighing more than the other weight, said weights being located at the bottom of the chamber and being so proportioned and situated on the lever and the lever being so situated in the chamber when the valve is open that as the water-level falls in the chamber said weights emerge sufficien tly to reverse their preponderance before the valve-port is uncovered, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, in the presence of two witnesses, this 17th day of April, 1891.

. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN TEAL.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT. 

